CIWM welcomes Defra’s waste crime consultation

Following Defra’s waste crime consultation, CIWM has welcomed its proposals by saying that the new powers granted to the Environment Agency (EA) are vital for fighting waste crime.

Regulators need to be allowed to act quicker when it comes to illegal waste sites, in order to prevent rogue operators, says CIWM chief executive Colin Church.

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While the organisation welcomes the new powers, it says that in the long-term EA need to prevent people using loopholes in the current system and “raising the bar on competency and reviewing the exemptions system are good places to start”.

The chief executive said that CIWM would like to see more, as one major weakness is the lack of attention on waste carries, brokers and dealers, who “can register for very little cost, with no requirement to demonstrate technical competence and few, if any, inspections”.